History

The Colonial Period:

Rio de Janeiro was founded by Portuguese explorers as they entered Guanabara Bay on the first of January, 1502. Legend holds that the bay was mistaken for the mouth of a river, and so the city was named Rio de Janeiro, or River of January.

Rio grew on the exporting of sugar cane, grown on the surrounding plains. Eventually gold and diamonds were found in the Mines Gerais area, causing an economic shift to occur and Rio to reap the benefits. Many Europeans relocated to Riode Janeiro after this discovery, and in 1763 the capital of the colony of Brazil was moved from Salvador to Rio, further increasing the city’s prominence.

With increased competition in the sugar cane market from other South American countries and decreased production from the mines, Rio de Janeiro fell into an economic crisis. Recovery came as Rio and other parts of Brazil expanded its world export trade in such products as coffee, cotton, sugar, and rubber.

At the end of the Colonial Period, Rio adopted public transportation in the form of horse drawn trolleys. These allowed for expansion further away from the city and into Botafogo to the south and Sao Cristovao and Tijuca the north and west. Steamboat service was introduced between Rio and Niteroi to the east. Rio was not only the political center of Brazil, being the capital, but also the economic and cultural center too. It was home to most newspapers, leading artists and writers and was the busiest port in Brazil. The railroad was expanding into the hinterland to transfer more goods through Rio.

Independent Rio:

In 1889, Brazil became a republic and Rio remained the political capital. In the following years, Rio began its transition to a modernized city. The Central Zone was destroyed to make way for newer buildings and widened avenues. Land reclamation was essential to the rebuilding of the Central Business District. Hills were being destroyed and used as infill to develop swampy land. The separation of the three zones were becoming more defined. The north became highly industrial and working class, while the wealthy moved south. The street cars were electrified, and were the most prominent form of transportation.

Rio’s Golden Age:

The early 1920s to the late 1950s were Rio’s golden age. With the inauguration of the grand hotels (the Glória in 1922 and the Copacabana Palace in 1924), Rio became a romantic, exotic destination for Hollywood celebrities and international high society who came to play and gamble at the casinos and dance or perform in the nightclubs.

Rio continued to change. Three large landfill projects were undertaken to ease the strain on a city restricted by its beautiful surroundings. The first was to become Aeroporto Santos Dumont, near Centro. The second resulted in Flamengo Park, and the third expanded the strand at Copacabana.

Modern Rio:

Rio remained the political capital of Brazil until 1960, when the government moved to Brasilia. During the 1960s, modern skyscrapers rose in the city, and some of Rio’s most beautiful buildings were lost. During the same period, the favelas (shantytowns) of Rio grew to critical mass with immigrants from poverty-stricken areas of the Northeast and the interior, swelling the number of Rio’s urban poor. The Cidade Maravilhosa began to lose its gloss as crime and violence increased.

The final decade of the military dictatorship that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985 was not kind to Rio. There were numerous protests during that period (notably in 1968 when some 100,000 marched upon the Palácio Tiradentes). Even Rio’s politicians opposed the military regime, which responded by withholding vital federal funding. The administration was forced to tighten its belt, and infrastructure deteriorated as the city’s coffers dried up.

A turning point for Rio came when it was chosen as host city for Eco 92, the UN Conference on Environment and Development. In the build-up to the conference, the federal government poured in almost $1 billion USD to improve Rio’s infrastructure. Approximately $18 million USD was spent on satellite communications alone, and Riocentro, a huge convention center, was built.

Today Rio’s coffers are full, and the city buzzes with an unstoppable creative energy, as long-awaited projects are finally being financed. The biggest is the Favela-Bairro project, which strives to integrate favelas, or slums, into the rest of the city by providing basic sanitation and by planning leisure areas, health clinics, schools, preschools and community centers (Rio has pledged a total of $1 billion USD over the life of the project). At the same time, some of Rio’s aging colonial gems are slowly being revitalized as new businesses arrive.

Rio’s most recent makeover took place in preparation for the 2007 Pan Am games, bringing thousands of visitors to the city.

Rio’s Future:

Rio de Janeiro will be hosting three international events over the next five years: the FIFA World Cup in 2014, the Summer Olympics in 2016, and – of course – World Youth Day, which will be held in July 2013.